orange

A simple yet elegant Chocolate Orange Ricotta Tart made with a crumbly pastry crust, a silky smooth filling of ricotta and mascarpone cheeses. The zest of tangerines with its juices adds a lovely citrusy scent…and of course some grated semi-sweet chocolate simply because chocolate does indeed make everything better.

Growing up Italian in a predominately french city, there never was any lack of desserts after a fine celebratory meal. Easter Sunday was no exception especially after a mandatory and traditional simple roast of agnello or rather lamb.

Desserts as well never wavered far from the customary sweets from way back home in Italy. One in particular which graced our table each and every Easter was la casata. A typical tart from my home town made with ricotta, sheep’s milk cheese and chocolate which utilizes many eggs and always had mamma and her sisters vying for the coveted spot of who used the most eggs. It is not unusual to use anywhere from 20 to 30 eggs when making la casata from my Paese in the Lazio region of Italy.

Although not my mamma’s casata this chocolate orange ricotta tart still pulls at my heartstrings as its somewhat similar in taste but way much lighter and not as dense.

We begin with a a crumbly pastry crust that is really quite easy to make. It is then rolled out and used to line the tart tin. You’ll find it to be quite forgiving if any breakage occurs and can be remedied by working it back together with either your fingers or the back of a spoon.

You’ll want to pierce it with a fork before filling it with the ricotta mixture so that no humps occur while baking.

I used a 10 inch tart tin with a removable base but please note that you can also use a 9 inch tart tin. You will however want to divide the pastry dough in half while using one half and freezing the other to use at a later time. You’ll also have to compensate for the slightly smaller tart tin by reducing the amount of time baked.

Orange and chocolate are one of my absolute favorite pairings and since I had so many sweet tangerines lying around I decided to use both the zest and the juices from this sweet fruit. You can however substitute the tangerine or orange zest with lemons.

All that’s needed is a light or generous dusting of icing sugar just before serving.

This creamy and dreamy tart is especially delightful with your favorite cup of coffee or tea!

Fold in the grated chocolate then pour the mixture over the prepared pastry dough.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the filling is set.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool in the tin.

Once cooled dust with icing sugar and serve.

Recipe Notes

Recipe is adapted from Cafe Italia cookbook by Liz Franklin with a few switch ups.I substituted the lemon juice and zest with tangerine juice and zest and added 2 ounces of grated semi-sweet chocolate.The original recipe called for using half the pastry dough, baking it in a 9 inch tart tin for 45 minutes.I used a 10 inch tart tin, used the whole amount of pastry dough and therefore increased the baking time by almost 15 minutes to compensate for a bigger tart.

As promised from my last post, affectionately dubbed by friends overkill Affogato, these are my mini chocolate anise biscotti. Studded with dark chocolate chips, with the lovely scent from orange zest and the sweet flavors of both anise extract and ground anise. And, well just because I sometimes do not do things in small measures, I decided to coat them in dark melted chocolate. Get ready to be transported to biscotti heaven my lovelies!

The dark chocolate, orange zest and ground anise are a trifecta of aromatic flavors that work so well together. I just adore this combination in desserts and find they are simply perfect in this biscotti recipe.

Another thing I am really loving lately is testing out different flours in some of my favorite recipes. One in particular is almond flour, which is high in fiber and a great way to reduce carbohydrates in our diet. It’s nutty flavor and light texture makes it a perfect addition to these chocolate anise biscotti. I have also found that the addition of the almond flour rendered the biscotti much more tender. These are not the rock hard biscotti that will test the strength of one’s new dental work…!

I started off by substituting 1/4, 1/3 and finally 1/2 of all purpose flour with the almond flour and found that the 1/3 cup of almond flour worked best in this recipe. Everything I love about these little morsels are combined in these chocolate anise biscotti. Light and airy with a tender bite, also much lower in calories than most cookies.

Ground anise seeds have a licorice like sweet flavor very similar to star anise and interchangeable in recipes however do purchase them in small quantities as they tend to lose flavor after grinding.

They are really delicious on their own…and dunking them in a frothy cappuccino… will surely take you very quickly, up the stairway, to biscotti heaven!

I often bring a pretty jar of biscotti in to work and not only do they disappear very quickly there is always someone requesting the jar itself! Which reminds me, I should go now to purchase more biscotti jars!

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until combined and a soft cookie dough has formed.

With a rubber spatula, scrape the cookie dough onto a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions

Roll 1 portion at a time into a 10 inch log.

Transfer logs to prepared cookie sheet.

Brush each log with the beaten egg whites. ( A pastry brush is really handy for this)

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven, place the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Once slightly cooled, transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and slice diagonally about 3/4 inch pieces.

Return cookies to the cookie sheet, standing them upright for even baking, and return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Let cookies cool on wire rack.

Once cooled, dip the bottom flat end of biscotti into the melted chocolate.

Scrape excess chocolate with an offset spatula.

Place dipped biscotti upright on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Let stand till chocolate is set.

Recipe Notes

Melt chocolate in microwave, on high setting, in 30 second intervals.For easier dipping, thin chocolate with a little vegetable oil and stir well.Biscotti keep very well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. However in my family they only last a few days.

These citrus madeleines are a two bite cake-like cookie. Sun kissed with a light golden brown color and bursting with the sweet citrusy flavors of lemon, lime and orange rinds, with an added crunch from the ground almonds.

A classic French style snacking cake, with a distinctive shell shape and a humpback.

I don’t have any childhood memories of these little madeleines, I was however always intrigued by their unique appearance. Soft, spongy and scalloped shaped. Definitely a must have cookie for all lemon lovers.

The store bought variety was my very first encounter with the little madeleines. More cake then cookie and of a somewhat drier variety just begging to be dunked in a cold glass of milk. These citrus madeleines are softer and more tender then store bought. I believe that is why my mom loved them so… for both the spongy tenderness of a cake and the lemon kick. They are perfect for those days when one does not have time to bake a whole cake but yet still crave a cake-like dessert.

All you need to whip up a batch of these citrus madeleines are a few staple ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, butter and of coarse a madeleine pan. Two pans to be exact, as most recipes yield two dozens. Nowadays, the madeleine pans can be found in most kitchen supply stores. Better yet, no electric mixer is required. Just two bowls and two whisks.

I find the best way to grease a madeleine pan is to use a pastry brush when brushing the moulds with the melted butter. This way every crevice is coated with the melted butter, and then lightly dust it with flour, shaking off any excess. Also equally important, is not to spread the batter when spooned into the mould, as this will help achieve their signature hump.

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Hi I'm Marisa! Welcome to my little corner of the web where you'll find delicious foods inspired by my Italian heritage and Canadian upbringing. So kick off your shoes, have a seat and stay awhile... Read More…

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